Vois sur ton chemin
by mcgonnagle
Summary: "You with nowhere to go and nowhere to return, I grant you a place to belong" It takes seconds for the words to imprint on Yukine's skin. It takes a bit longer to realize he's not the only one they might apply to.- A collection of short stories featuring the golden trio. Will probably contain hints of Yatori
1. Chapter one

„I _was_ right, you know", he remarks before shoveling another forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth. The sun is glinting through the window, a golden reflection on the glass table and silver cutlery, and also a mocking contrast to his soaked clothes. He's not even sure at this point whether the water in his shoes has leaked in during their sprint here, or dripped down from his jeans.

Another drop of ice-cold water starts trickling down his neck and he turns to glower at the one responsible for his current misery.

„I _told_ you we should just wait for the shower to pass, and you dragged us right into the worst of it! And your time perception sucks by the way, we still have half an hour till her train comes."

Yato unhurriedly takes a large bite out of his doughnut, then gives him an obnoxious grin. „Ah, but Yukine-chan, thanks to me we now have time for this lovely snack. Are you not enjoying your cake?" He shakes his head, a theatrical expression of sorrow on his face. „Such a gracious offering brought to us by Hiyori, and all you ever do is complain-"

„I could have done without the cake too, you know? And I'm the one who'll be stuck in a draughty train for two hours in wet clothes, so really if anyone should complain it's me", she interrupts him with a huff, and under her annoyed stare Yato's bravado seems to wilt a little. He quickly tries to cover it up by stuffing the rest of the doughnut into his mouth, and absentmindedly starts reaching for Yukine's cake.

Yukine hits him on the fingers with the fork and sends him another death glare.

Yato draws his knees up on the armchair and heaves a dramatic sigh.

It's probably a good thing the waitress can't see him, the way his boots leave muddy traces on the upholstery.

Not that the furniture had been that clean to begin with in the train station's only café, but still.

It had been Yato's idea to wait here of course, after they'd arrived forty minutes early and dripping wet at the train station. Admittedly, the café is slightly warmer than the windy entrance hall, but the clammy stickiness of his shirt and pants makes him shift uncomfortably in his chair anyway.

Yato, the bastard, had called dibs on the heater, so him and Hiyori are stuck with their soppy jackets draped over their backrests. He watches the water trickling down the sleeve of Hiyori's cloud grey coat, drips splashing on the floor and connecting into a glittering puddle.

A particularly nasty breeze rips through the air, and Hiyori curls in on herself with a shiver. Unexpectedly, Yato plucks his track suit jacket off the heater and hands it to her.

She takes it with hesitant hands, but then slips her arms through the sleeves and pulls it tight around her, burying her nose in the collar.

„You must be freezing horribly if you can stand that stinky jacket", Yukine tells her with a sympathetic frown.

Hiyori turns a brilliant shade of pink and starts stammering „Oh, no it's not- well you know, I have a cold anyway, I probably couldn't smell it even if he spent the night in a trashcan-"

Yukine snorts at that. „Must be a real bad cold you caught there, because he actually stole Daikoku's sake again yesterday and fell asleep in a trashcan, _your_ trashcan to be exact because-"

His airway is suddenly caught off by an arm wrapping tightly around his neck, and Yato's voice like mercury against his ear, _„Yukine-kun..."_

The sleeve of the probably-once-white sweatshirt smells of old sweat and whatever it is the Ikis had in their trashcan, and the rest of the waiting time dissolves in insults and headslaps once he tells him exactly that.

He does hug Hiyori tightly though when her train arrives, and wishes her a good trip despite the stupid rain, and she smiles at him and tells him to remember his homework.

Yato hugs her like he always does, with a little too much enthusiasm and not that much regard for human lungs.

She finally pushes him away and begins to take off the track suit jacket awkwardly, but he stops her hands and fixates her with a strange expression on his face. „Keep it", he mumbles finally.

„But I-"

„I insist."

Hiyori looks like she wants to say something, but then the train whistle blows, and she hurries inside with a last wave.

* * *

„Give me your jacket, Yukine", Yato orders when they leave the train station.

„Hell no", Yukine snorts.

„You know, you're supposed to protect me."

„Yeah, from demons, and crazy gods, not from the fucking cold. And you know, _you_ gave your jacket away."

„I was being a _gentleman_-"

Yukine nearly chokes from laughter at that one.

„It's only one weekend, you know", he remarks once he has his voice back under control.

„I know that" Yato sulks. „I'll just miss it, is all. I'm not used to- not having my jacket."

„Uhuh" Yukine anwers with an eyeroll.

„But I'll gladly suffer this vicious cold to ensure Hiyori's health! She is my best follower after all.." He starts going off on his usual rant about the glorious future of Yatoism, and Yukine rolls his eyes again.

He wonders how many years with Yato his eyes will be able to take.


	2. Chapter two

The call comes as the sun starts to set orange-warm between the skyscrapers. They've been wandering around for two hours, vandalizing park benches and public bathrooms, and waiting in vain for someone desperate enough to hire them.

Hiyori had to catch up on homework, or study for a test (he doesn't remember exactly what), but she's been ignoring Yato's texts for the past hour.

Which means he got to listen to a thousand years' worth's variations of the phrase „I'm bored".

So really, it's fortunate that Hiyori called, because he's not sure how much longer he could have contained the rising urge to push Yato in the slimy green pond and possibly traumatize the little baby ducks for life.

„Are you guys free at the moment?" he hears her ask.

„We can always make time for you", Yato says with a smarmy grin and an idiotic wink (which she can't even see anyway, so really, he should think of the poor ducklings who did not sign up for this).

„Well I-may have a job for you", Hiyori says, and in an instant Yato's grin is gone.

„Is there an ayakashi in your house?" he asks, worry evident in his voice.

„No, no, nothing like that", she laughs nervously. „It's stupid really, but- do you think you could come over for a minute? And promise not to laugh!"

They've materialized in the middle of her room before she even finishes the sentence, and Yato's stupid elbow knocks him back into Hiyori's desk as the idiot lifts an imaginary hat and gives Hiyori a theatrical „At your service, m'lady".

Cursing and rubbing his sore hip bone, Yukine lifts himself back up and smiles at her.

She seems much more relaxed now than on the phone, and gives him a cheery grin in return.

She's not in her school uniform for once, instead wearing a white shirt and dark khakis. Her hair is dripping on a light blue towel wrapped around her shoulders, so she probably just had a shower-

Yato gives him an annoyed stare and Yukine scowls right back because he _wasn't_ even thinking about that-

„So what's the job?", Yato asks.

Hiyori's face blushes a light pink. „Well, there's this really big bug-spider thing in the bathroom. I flushed it down the first time, but it keeps climbing up the drain, and you know, I _could_ take care of it myself, but it's just super gross, so..." She fishes in her pocket for a five yen coin, and Yato snatches it out of her hand with a shit-eating grin.

„Your wish has been heard loud and clear" he declares, and calls „_Sekki_" before Yukine has a chance to protest.

_„I don't want you to cut the gross bug with me!"_ he cries, and from the strange, fractured view he has as a sword he sees Yato roll his eyes.

„ You are such a crybaby. _Revert, Yukine! _Hiyori, do you have any kitchen paper?"

„Sure". She hurries out the door, and Yato turns around with a smirk on his stupid face.

„So tell me, my brave regalia, since when are you afraid of an itsy bitsy spider? I seem to remember you slaying a huge spider demon right on your first day, so you've really done a good job of hiding-"

„I'm not afraid!" Yukine interrupts him hotly, arms crossed in front of his chest.

„Jerk. If it's not a demon, it won't just disintegrate. And I don't want gross spider goo stuck on me, it's bad enough that I have to wash my jacket every day because of your stinky hand sweat."

Yato grasps at his chest in feigned agony, and Yukine storms past him into the corridor.

„Jerk", he mutters again, because this is _not funny_, not after that idiot didn't tell him for weeks how badly he was hurting him, not after he'd nearly gotten the both of them _killed_-

He tries not to dwell on it, because those are dark thoughts, and he can't, he won't sting Yato again out of guilt now-

He can hear Hiyori's steps coming up the stairs, but it doesn't calm the swirling unease in the back of his mind.

There's a hand on his shoulder suddenly, and he finds himself staring up at Yato.

The god yawns and then remarks: „Just so you know, it's okay if you're afraid of spiders. They _are_ pretty yucky, aren't they?" His tone is casual, but his voice is warm, and there's a small smile playing on his lips instead of the smirk from earlier.

Then of course he has to ruin it by stage whispering „Don't worry, I won't even tell Hiyori!" with an exaggerated wink.

„What won't you tell me?" Hiyori asks suspiciously, hands on her hips.

„Yukine's thinking about you in the shower. Thanks a bunch, it'll only be a minute" he says while snatching the kitchen paper out of her hand and disappearing into the bathroom with a cheerful spring in his step.

Yukine can feel his ears burning red. „I wasn't- that's not true! You asshole!" he screams after him, fists clenched at his sides.

He turns to Hiyori, face still flaming in fury and embarrassment. „I swear it's not true, he's lying, that son of a-"

„It's alright, I believe you", she waves him off, although her cheeks are tinged pink too.

„Omg look at this gigantic spider-bug! It's so gross!" Yato shouts enthusiastically from the bathroom.

„Why the hell would I want to see that?" Yukine groans, at the same time that Hiyori yells „I KNOW!"

Yato doesn't listen to either of them, kicking open the door with a mischievous grin and a wad of paper clutched in his hand.

There's what looks like a hairy black pincer sticking out of it. It twitches suddenly, and Yukine shudders.

„Just put it in the trash already, you twat", he snaps, and retreats a few steps in case the idiot god gets any ideas.

„Fine", Yato sulks.

„Did you get done with your school stuff?", Yukine turns to Hiyori while Yato is rummaging around in the bathroom.

„Yep", she nods with a smile. „What about you, another mission waiting on you guys or are you calling it a day?"

She looks worried suddenly. „I didn't pull you out of a job, did I?"

Yukine snorts. „Nah, you were the only one to call. It's been- a slow day, I guess."

„But here's one satisfied customer, right?" Yato reappears next to them, lifting up a white plastic bag. „I'll just take out the trash, and it'll be as though this monster never even set foot in your house!"

He vanishes in a flash of blue light.

„Lazy bastard", Yukine mutters under his breath.

Hiyori snickers.

„So what are you guys doing tonight?" she asks with a smile.

He shrugs. „Have dinner I guess. Yato will probably annoy Daikoku until he throws him into a wall again...You know, the usual stuff. What about you?"

She puffs out her cheeks. „Well Ami-chan wanted to come over to watch the finale of produce 101, but she decided to get the flu and bailed out on me. So I guess I'll just watch the match from last week again-"

„WHAAAAA-" Yato materializes right in front of them, eyes blown comically wide and an expression of absolute elation on his face. „Hiyori-chaaan" he starts in a sing-song voice, „will you let us watch the finale with you pleeeease? Mean Daikoku won't let me because there's some stupid rugby world cup tonight but I HAVE to knowww".

He chokes off on a dramatic sob, but there's a manic glint in his eyes that is frankly disturbing.

„I don't wanna watch that crap, it's for girls" Yukine grumbles, and promptly regrets it when he feels a foot connecting with his mid-section.

He wheezes for air and holds up his hands for forgiveness. _Damn_, Hiyori sure knows how to kick.

When he lifts his gaze, it's Yato staring down at him though, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. „Don't you dare insult the idols", he chokes out, his lower lip quivering. _Shit_, is that idiot really gonna cry about the stupid idols?

„You have no idea how hard they have to work! Worrying every day what else you can do to please the fans! Putting everything you have into a performance and they still _don't care_-" He sniffles and buries his head in his hands.

Yukine shares a confused glance with Hiyori. She puts a hand on Yato's arm. „Are you alright?" she asks, a quizzical look on her face. Yato only shakes harder.

„It's okay, we can watch the finale together. You did save me from that ugly spider today, so I guess it's only fair. C'mon, let's go downstairs."

She leads him down to the living room, and Yukine follows after them awkwardly.

Hiyori parks Yato on the armchair, then turns to the kitchen for some drinks and snacks.

„Can I help you with something?", he asks as she starts pulling things out of the shelves.

„Sure, you can put the chips into bowls if you like. Oh, and would you mind starting the microwave for the popcorn? Thank you for helping me, Yukine-kun!"

She gives him a bright smile before turning back to the living room with the drinks and glasses.

When he comes out of the kitchen, one bowl with chips and one bowl with popcorn in his hands, Yato seems to have recovered.

He's started the TV and watches with rapt attention as they're doing the typical interviews before the show. A can of beer is in his hand, and Yukine raises his eyebrows at Hiyori.

„Won't your father notice if his beer is missing?"

She shrugs. „My parents are on a congress, they won't be back until tomorrow. But he promised he'd restock the fridge until then."

„And you believed him?" Yukine asks incredulously.

„Oh I have complete faith", she smirks, a twinkle in her eyes.

It takes him several seconds, but then he buries his face in his hands with a groan. „He never said he'd use his own money to get the beer, did he?"

Hiyori starts giggling and pops the first bottle open with a hiss. „Sprite?", she offers him, and he accepts gratefully.

He reaches for some popcorn, and sits down on the sofa next to Hiyori.

„I'm glad you guys are here", she says with another soft smile, and Yukine looks away.

„Yeah" he admits, his cheeks feeling uncomfortably warm again.

Yato seems too captivated by the TV to notice their conversation, and so Yukine tries to follow his god's example and focus on the current group of girls doing some complicated dance routine.

Except this stupid show really is _boring as shit,_ and Yukine feels his thoughts beginning to drift again.

_„I'm glad you guys are here"_, and really he _should_ be glad that he's allowed here, that he _exists_ here at all-

He should be teeming with gratitude, and try to repay their kindness, he should be _happy_-

But instead he can't stop asking _why_, why would they endanger themselves so after everything he's done, he _doesn't deserve this_, and _there must be something he's missing_-

His doubts keep swirling in the back of his mind, like little chips of ice floating through his veins, and no amount of caramel-coated popcorn can make them go away.

He eats most of the bowl anyway.

They don't talk much while they're watching, and Yukine isn't sure if it's a good or bad thing. But he wouldn't know what to say either way, and so he curls up on his side of the sofa quietly. The blanket that Hiyori gave him is a horrible soft pink, with flowers stitched on the edges, but it's fluffy and warm and the lighting is too dark to make out the embarrassing colour.

Yato, now on his fifth beer, has apparently decided that getting out of of the armchair and walking into the kitchen is too big of an effort, because every now and then he can see a blue flash in the corner of his eye.

Hiyori makes a halfhearted attempt to scold him when he nearly falls on his butt with three beer cans in his arms, but Yato just shoots her a grin that screams ‚more than halfway to drunksville' and Hiyori settles back into her blanket with a huff.

Yato gets some sort of breakdown when the group he liked ends up losing (or maybe they won, and this is just Yato's happy crying like when he finds some new Capypa merchandise).

Annoying electro pop music keeps blaring even though the show seems to have ended, but none of them gets up to switch it off.

Yato has fallen asleep, knees drawn up and his last beer cradled to his chest. Yukine sincerely hopes that this wasn't the Ikis' favourite armchair, because there's a dark spot of drool where Yato's face is pressed against the backrest.

Well, the idiot can explain that to Hiyori himself whenever he wakes up.

He looks away again.

It's too cloudy tonight for any stars, but every now and then a blinking red light flits across the sky. There's a streetlamp less than ten meters away from the window, and Hiyori has left the light on in the kitchen.

She never said anything about it.

A wave of something hot and sharp wells up in him, stinging behind his eyes and pricking at his fingertips.

„Why did you save me?", he whispers in the not-quite-dark.

He doesn't dare turn around, but he can see her shadow shifting slightly on the floor.

„Because you're my friend, Yukine-kun", she answers softly, voice laced with sleep.

„But _why_?- I never did anything good for you, I-" he takes a shuddering breath.

„You know, Nora told me my eyes are like Hawthorn berries, they're just empty and noone wants them, and then they disappear like they were never there at all-"

„That's stupid, Yukine-kun", she interrupts him quietly, and he finally turns to look at her.

„Your eyes are warm."

She's struggling to keep her eyes open, but he can still hear the smile in her voice.

„Hiyori-" he never makes it to an answer, a thank you, or a question, and then the moment is gone and she's fallen asleep.

He's still staring at her with wide eyes, his mind blank.

But for the first time today, he actually _feels_ warm inside.

He lifts himself off the sofa, stretching his legs with a pop. He shuts off the TV, and releases a breath into the sudden silence.

It's not a real silence, there's still the soft buzzing of the fridge in the kitchen, and Yato's snoring against the armchair, and Hiyori making little humming noises every now and then.

But it's a comfortable sort of quiet-

_Homey_.

So he picks up the bowls and the glasses with as little noise as possible, decides against starting the dishwasher because it's only half full, and relocates the beer cans stacked around the armchair to the kitchen.

(Because Yato had been super cranky for a whole day that one time he fell down the stairs first thing in the morning, and he doesn't want to have to deal with that again.)

He returns to the living room, and stops awkwardly in front of the sleeping god.

His neck _is_ bent at a pretty awkward angle.

It is very _probable_ that Yato will be sore tomorrow, and then he'll complain about it to no end, and also probably blame the Ikis for having such an uncomfortable armchair.

And- Hiyori doesn't deserve that.

(Also, Yukine doesn't feel like waking up some day to find all his savings stolen for some „magic Capypa neck pillow".)

His fingers twitch once.

Then he picks up a pillow from his end of the sofa, and, after some consideration of the backrest's less than desirable condition, adds some kitchen paper on top before maneuvering it under Yato's head.

There's no reaction from the god besides a slightly louder snore.

Yukine pushes his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

It doesn't seem like there's anything else to do.

So he goes back to the sofa and slips back under the fluffy pink blanket, careful not to touch Hiyori, but she's curled up on herself like a cat and it's a large sofa anyway.

He stares up at the ceiling, the sliver of yellow light filtering in from the kitchen.

And it's not what they've unofficially set up as ‚his room' („their room" according to Yato) at Kofuku's place, but with the sound of Yato and Hiyori breathing beside him, this kinda feels like- home.

„Thank you", he whispers.


End file.
